The Humane Society of Utah opened a new cat adoption area called "Kitty City" on August 25th. It features spacious rooms with cat beds, shelves, toys and televisions playing relaxing sounds. Volunteers report the cats seem much more comfortable. The adoption rate has increased by 50-75% each month since Kitty City opened, and euthanasia numbers are decreasing as a result of more space from higher adoptions. The goal is to become a no-kill shelter for cats as well. A new dog adoption area called "The Wait is Over, Rover" is also planned.

1. Cats at the Humane Society of Utah have gained a cozy new living area, known as
“Kitty City,” on August 25th and the question on everybody’s mind is how is it
benefitting them?
Laura Spruell, a volunteer of seven years at HSU says the effect on the cats is very
positive.
“The cats are much, much more comfortable, “ said Spruell.
The shelter’s new facility includes spacious rooms with built-in shelves, cat beds,
and soft furniture. The rooms also offer televisions that play relaxing sounds such
as birds chirping for the cats. The larger rooms include big play towers for the cats
to climb, sleep, or relax on.
The rooms and furniture of Kitty City are an obvious improvement to the old cat
adoption area in the shelter because there are now spacious rooms for the cats to
enjoy, unlike the small cages of the former space.
“…They were just metal kennels and we had…46 of them and they were hard to put
multiple cats in ‘cause of the size and they just weren’t very comfortable,” said
Spruell of the old cat area.
Each standard cat room at Kitty City holds anywhere up to seven cats and each
larger room containing the play towers holds about 10-20 cats at any given time.
Kitty City has also had a progressive effect on the adoption rate at HSU. Carl Arky,
the media and public relations specialist for HSU, estimated that the adoption rate
has rise about 50-75% each month since Kitty City opened.
“It’s very noticeable the increase that we’ve seen and we think a lot of that has to do
with the fact that it’s a nicer place for people to come to,” said Arky.
“Lots of people have come to see Kitty City and on our grand opening we had more
adoptions than we ever had in one day before,” said Spruell.
As a result of the rising adoptions from Kitty City, euthanasia rates at the Humane
Society have decreased. When more cats are adopted, fewer cats need to be
euthanized because more space becomes available for the cats currently living
there.
“Kitty City is helping us bring the euthanasia numbers down. We haven’t been able
to completely eliminate that, but we’re working towards that. We think that within
a relatively short period of time we will get to the point where we could be
considered a no-kill shelter,” said Arky.

2. HSU has already gotten to this point with the dogs residing there. According to
Arky, HSU has not euthanized a single adoptable dog for three years.
Plans are also in action to build a new adoption area for the dogs, to be called “The
Wait is Over, Rover.” This area will feature an outdoor plaza where potential
adopters can interact with the shelter’s dogs.
Staff and volunteers at HSU are hopeful that the Kitty City adoption rates stay high
and continue to rise, and that they will eventually be able to completely halt
euthanasia practices due to overcrowding.